Giants of Quantock Hills / community mural series. Woolaway, Taunton
Mural #1 / Location: Bodmin Road, Taunton
Quantock Landscape Partnership Scheme (QLPS) commissioned me to work with the community of North Taunton on a project to help form a human connection between these local residents and the neighbouring landscape of Quantock Hills.
A mural-based project was devised as a method to practically engage the community. And, the blue hoarding of the Woolaway development a suitable surface to deliver it on.
I produced a simple activity sheet, which QLPS used to gather words and pictures from residents over a series of engagement walks and conversations. These fed into a set of mural designs that I developed based on the most popular words and ideas derived from these engagement activities. Key themes centred on a human connection with nature and feeling peaceful and relaxed when out walking in the hills.
My designs took the form of a new myth about the giants of Quantock Hills, with the murals depicting a reclining giant composed of textures, colours and shapes inspired by the rolling topography of the landscape. I produced fifteen designs, with a huge amount of flexibility within them, so we could shift elements about, in response to on-the-day community feedback and whichever stretch of hoarding we were painting.
Overall, around 100m of hoarding was painted by the community over the course of three weekends, resulting in several murals spread across three locations.
“Working with Dave Bain on this project has really helped to develop our audiences and build meaningful community connections. Dave’s method of creativity and playfulness brings a legacy of wonder and curiosity that goes beyond the mural itself – one that I’m sure will be experienced by the communities he’s worked with for some time to come.
From the outset, in chatting to Dave and developing ideas, it was clear that he immediately understood our project and felt the same enthusiasm that we did. Dave had a great sense of what we wanted on a professional level – which made for a really enjoyable and creative relationship. We loved exploring designs and ideas for delivery with Dave as he makes this process fun and inclusive.”
“Dave’s approach within the community was critical to the success of the project. He has a great understanding of how to work sympathetically with audiences and how to get people inspired without it being transactional. From the initial consultation material that he produced, through to the completed designs, there was a real sense of inclusion and participation that gave the project its identity.
There was a huge feeling of achievement for everybody involved in this project and our contributors from within the community all remarked on how well organised Dave was each day they turned up. The flexible designs, easy tools and unpretentious approach, meant that anyone from the community felt they could get involved. For us this has been really important as we’ve been able to work alongside our target groups in a fun and co-operative way, presenting a lovely and tangible record of engagement with communities in our project area.”
Mural #2 / Location: just off Dorchester Road, Taunton
The community, including volunteers from Priorswood Community Centre and local PCSOs, were generous with their time - many staying for several hours and returning on other painting days.
I prepared a series of easy to use painting devices, which included stamps and brush tools. Combining these with stencils and direction, where necessary, made for a smooth process of engagement.
“At school we only get to make really small things in art, but here we can go as big as we like”
Extra help across all three weekends came from two wonderful artists Sonja Burniston and Lisa Marie Davies.
Both have brilliant enthusiasm when it comes to working with people, helping members of the community in using the various paint tools, while keeping a close eye on the overall direction of the mural.
It was tremendously helpful to have their artistic eyes too, as we navigated our way through delivering a set of murals that were an collaborative blend of my original designs along with input from the local residents.
Mural #3 / Location: Dorchester Road, Taunton
Another factor, that we wanted to remain flexible with was what wildlife to add into the landscape. Local residents, who had come to paint the mural - especially younger ones - were eager to draw out animals they associated with the nearby Quantock Hills.
I adapted their inventive drawings, into simple cut-out stencils. We made decisions together about where to place each animal before painting them into the mural.
These including a rabbit (with whiskers created from another stamp I'd hand-cut for the flowers), bumble bees (making use of the stripy roller), hedgehogs (also utilising the zig-zag stamp I'd hand-cut), butterflies (with round stamp decoration), birds and a Quantock pony.
“I’m going to do your butterflies and stencils in my art book at Lyngford school”
For the final mural stretch we decided to start at one end of the mural with a bright and powerful rising sun next to a waking giant. The next giant along is sitting up enjoying the day, surrounded by flowers, trees and nature. And the third and final giant is sleeping under the stars with a large, crescent moon watching over them.
“It reminds me of mountains and hills. The Quantocks and Exmoor, Blackdowns and Brendons”
Mural #4 (right side of longer sequence) / Location: Cambridge Terrace, Taunton
Mural #4 (middle of longer sequence) / Location: Cambridge Terrace, Taunton
Mural #4 (left side of longer sequence) / Location: Cambridge Terrace, Taunton
“I knew the mural was a winner when the man at the Council’s IT helpdesk learned I worked for the Landscape Partnership Scheme and spontaneously started telling me how much it had improved his street. Dave delivered a brilliant engagement project. It brought a lot of people together and really helped us to build relationships and trust with a community that has been let down by officialdom too often in the past. Most importantly it was great fun for everyone involved! ”
It was important to acknowledge the hard work the local community had put into creating these murals. In keeping with the various stamps and other painting tools I'd created for this project I hand-cut three stamps to sign-post the people behind the paint.